As we are about to embark on whatever journey 2012 holds for us I had a look at my hastily constructed calendar for sausage related activities and similar and realised how unrealistic it is/was. What was I thinking? The trip to Spain in February has gone, too much in the first few months, and the Murmansk trip cut by a week. It has been updated in the sausage calendar, at the bottom of the page if anyone is interested. Next up is the return to The Shetland Islands, this time I will be accompanied by Emma, Beth and Will, leaving Sam and Ed with Dad holding the fort back in Gosport.
I am really looking forward to my second trip to the most northern land mass in the British Isles, the weather will almost certainly be a lot worse than when last visited in November, in fact the ferry crossing may be a bit lumpy. We'll be staying here, at Bressay lighthouse:
As usual, when the idea is first floated to any of the kids for us to stay any way our of the ordinary they protested in the extreme with the standard, 'It's haunted.' This time, however, as Ed is not with us, both Emma and I have stopped talking about it in the hope that Will and Beth will forget about the accommodation until we arrive. It does help that the journey is more complicated than normal, a case of cars, planes and ferries. Beth in particular is concerned about the ferry crossing from Aberdeen to Lerwick, an overnight sea journey at a time of year when the North Sea makes even the most seasoned oilman shudder. Looking at the bookings as I write, it seems that all appropriate crossings are overnight and probably prone to a more choppy trip, sorry guys. There are a mere twenty five days until we leave and I have to step up my cornet practice so that I don't embarrass myself when I join a marching band that have years of experience at the Up Helly Aa Viking Festival.
Shetland aside, there a couple of trips I need to schedule. One at least is essential, it's more of a sensible change than anything. A friend of mine, cheers Matt, has brought to my attention a German phenomena which may or may not have been influenced by the occupation of British forces in and around Hamburg following the end of the second world war. I won't elaborate as it has the hallmarks of being a bit of a scoop if I follow it through properly. This means my trip to a general German sausage festival has morphed into a visit to a specific one, or at least for specific purpose. The second trip can wait until the second book but intrigues me more than any other. The Lucianian sausage was developed near Naples at the height of the Roman Empire, this was one of the first definitively defined recipes and standardised sausages on record.
The rest of the year is slowly taking shape, and will, no doubt change as time progresses. Watch this space.
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